Brigitte Macron: Court finds 10 guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady

The outcome follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born a man under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux.

On Monday, a Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man.

One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between four and eight months. All 10 were mandated to attend cyberbullying awareness training.

The court pointed to “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” comments referring to false claims regarding alleged trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Brigitte Macron. “Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects,” the court said.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, were accused of having posted numerous comments falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was born a man and likening their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television Sunday, she said she launched legal proceedings to “set an example” in the fight against harassment.

Her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said Monday, “what is important is that there are immediate cyberbullying awareness trainings, and for some of the defendants, a ban on using their social media accounts.”

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

One of the defendants, a property asset manager, received a six-month prison sentence. Under French law, the sentence may be served at home, possibly while wearing an ankle monitor or following other requirements set by a judge.